Solar tracking systems are well known and have been in use for many years. For example, a U.S. Patent of McDermott U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,099 discloses a Modular Solar Tracking Frame. The McDermott patent discloses a low cost, modular structure with a continuous, horizontal, rotatable spine supported on posts fixed to the ground, providing one axis of rotation for pointing solar collectors in the North-South direction and vertical roll axis bars mounted orthogonally to the spine providing an additional axis of rotation in the East-West direction. Push rods provide linear motion for control of any number of solar collector modules, with the linear motion being translated to rotary motion by pulleys and cables attached to wheels or are segments mounted to the spine and roll axis bars. Thus, a whole array of solar collector modules can be driven by a single solar tracking device and two drive devices. Additionally, when arrayed in multiple rows of the number of solar collector modules controlled can be multiplied so that a “solar farm” covering a large area could be controlled by the single solar tracking device and a minimal number of drive devices.
A more recent U.S. Pat. No. 7,252,084 of Pawlenko et al. discloses a further approach to a Solar Tracking System. As disclosed, the solar tracking system has a first set of solar heat gain transducers that produce respective first output signals to drive a reversible first motor for changing a vertical angle of a solar collector; and a second set of solar heat gain transducers that produce respective second output signals to drive a reversible second motor for changing a horizontal angle of the solar collector; each of the transducers having a thermistor in thermal contact with a thermal mass; and a communications apparatus receiving output voltage from solar cells on the solar collector.
A still further approach to an Automated Solar Tracking System is disclosed in a U.S. Pat. No. 8,203,070 of Homyk et al. An automated tracking solar power collector is disclosed. The tracking solar powered collector includes at least one solar collector such as a solar concentrator and an actuator coupled to the at least one solar collector. The tracking solar power collector further includes a tracking controller configured to aim the at least one solar collector toward the sun with the actuator; and, a power controller configured to supply power to the actuator based on an energy collected by the at least one solar collector.
Notwithstanding the above, it is presently believed that there is a need and a potential commercial market for an improved solar tracking system in accordance with the present invention. There should be a commercial market for such devices because of an increased demand for solar collectors as an alternative source of electrical energy. This demand for alternative sources of electrical energy has led to a demand for more efficient tracking devices that provide a direct fact to the sun as it passes overhead allowing the normally oblique rays of morning and evening to strike a collector and/or multiple collectors directly for additional solar gain.